What is the biggest mistake made with Australian Rugby?

[Derpus]

Of course it is "fair" to debate the merit of decisions taken 10 or fifteen years ago.


But what on earth is the point?



"Living in the past" Jethro Tull. Or, to put it another way, "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there".


Funnily enough, the game was booming when those "mistakes" were made.

Don't suppose you see any merit in discussing the Greeks, Romans and the cradle of modern civilization, or the Nazi's or Soviet Russia or any of the other relevant things that have happened in the last 50,000 years of human history. What an odd comment.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Come to think of it, probably the worst single mistake, or series of mistakes, was the failure of the game as a whole to get right behind the ARC. Yes, it was badly timed, it should never have started in a World Cup year.


But the sheer bloody mindedness and obstruction that the clubs and, we are told, the VRU, put in the way of what might have been an entree into a decent, nationally televised, competition on FTA made sure that it would be a disaster.


And it was, of course. It is kind of curious that none of the usual ARU haters seems to remember this. Where were you chaps? Did you support it?

Yes that was definitely a missed opportunity - ok funding model wrong by paying abc to televise it but rather than drop the whole thing should have reworked the model


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[Rugbynutter39]

Memory's funny, innit? Your memory certainly isn't mine.

As a young fella in that generation Matt Rodgers, Lote and Wendell were three of the players that excited me the most.

Massive marketing drawcards and I think their onfield performances were fine to great.

To say they are the biggest mistake rugby union in Australia has ever made is hyperbole to a tee.

Yep that got everyone talking about the game by having high profile players like this. League has no problem pinching our top talent and draw cards yet we seem to have die hards telling us we should only look within. What a load of out dated crap. There is a war for high profile talent and by example you ask school kids who their favourite player is and most will tell you it is izzy!


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[Quick Hands]

Come to think of it, probably the worst single mistake, or series of mistakes, was the failure of the game as a whole to get right behind the ARC. Yes, it was badly timed, it should never have started in a World Cup year.


But the sheer bloody mindedness and obstruction that the clubs and, we are told, the VRU, put in the way of what might have been an entree into a decent, nationally televised, competition on FTA made sure that it would be a disaster.


And it was, of course. It is kind of curious that none of the usual ARU haters seems to remember this. Where were you chaps? Did you support it?

Nobody was really given an opportunity to "get behind it". It was imposed from above by people who thought that the knew it all.

So, let's refresh everyone's memory about how it went in NSW:

The ARU gave the NSWRU 4 licences, the NSWRU onsold one of these to Melbourne, the NSWRU/ARU then decided that they would force the clubs to participate (broad initial agreement from the northern Sydney clubs, zero co-operation from the "coalition of the unwilling to the south")

The NSWRU/ARU then produced a touch of slapstick farce, which only they could think of:

After forcing clubs on the south side of Sydney Harbour into the Sydney Fleet, they decide that the Sydney Fleet will play home games at North Sydney Oval. See the problem???

Not happy with that stroke of brilliance, they decide that the Northern Sydney Rays (who had initial support from the northern Sydney clubs) would play their home games at Gosford on the Central Coast. i.e. 60-90 minutes drive each way.

How bloody-minded of people not supporting something which was set-up to fail.

Luckily we live in a country where people aren't forced to go along with nonsense like the ARC.

Maybe you'd prefer something a little more authoritarian where people are given no choice but to obey their betters without question?

 

[Killer]

I think Rob Clarke being put in positions of power is worthy of a nomination here. After reading the Hansard report on the Senate Rugby enquiry you could easily come to the conclusion, right or wrong TBC, that he almost destroyed the Rebels by facilitating the selling of the Rebs to his mate Cox rather than another potential suitor who was offering a better deal to the ARU and seemed to be more financially sound? Clearly in my opinion and others questioned during the first day of the enquiry he seems to have had a big part in the destruction of the Force. He was also CEO at the Brumbies I think, what did he get up there?

 

[Brumby Runner]

CEO in 2003 - 2005. Oversaw the replacement of David Nucifora as coach in 2014 but probably had little role in that matter which was reportedly primarily driven by the players.

 

[Aussie D]

JO'N in 1996 decided that rugby didn't need to get young kids playing the game as kids dropped out at 15. This is the biggest mistake. Those same kids would be now in their mid 20s and at sn age where they have disposable income with little responsibility - the type who go out to watch the footy. They are aldo the age where they might go play some park footy for their local club. We will pay for this mistake when they start having kids and put them in the sport they played as a kid. Prior to the JO'N decision rugby was making headway with the "runnung rugby" media campain targeting juniors.""

 

[Pfitzy]

Not pulling the schools - across all the little pissing contests - into line as a development pathway.

 

[wamberal]

Not getting rid of Tom Wills, somehow, before he invented Australian Rules football.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Not getting rid of Tom Wills, somehow, before he invented Australian Rules football.

Just watched league final with extended big family of which decent bunch are league supporters. I really don't enjoy league now days as been to many league games where just line up and play in such simple lines. But get the criticism from family with tonight who day union too technical (and as someone aware of history know more rules been implemented to make faster game but irony is made too stop start with penalties where compared to three decades ago penalties per game three times that of past.

So much opportunity for rugby union imo if can be more open to reform then when we were from when league spilt from union in early 1900's.

I hope it happens at some point as we are one of the few western world countries that has league and union and where league is bigger...union needs reform so can be bigger in this country to better compete and Moreso from a selfish perspective I find league boring as a game but with better athletes.



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[Tomikin]

I think Tuiqri proved his value, he was a world class wing for a while there..but ARU still had him signed on an enormous contract towards the end once his form had started the downward trajectory, another reason they were all too happy too allow his misdemeanour serve as a means to terminate his contract.

Sailor never really found his groove in rugby union IMO, he was good but never as good as he was in the NRL and the negative press associated with his exit from the game needs to be factored in when assessing whether his contribution was a positive one or not.

Given between them, Rogers and Tahu they earned a collective few million dolllars of ARU money, I think it's fair that the rugby community question that investment, and whether it would have been better invested elsewhere.


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Andrew Walker was an absolute gun though.. Still is from the 10s

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